Container



sept. 15,1942. F. BLMR 2,296,139

CONTAINER Filed Dec. 1. 1941 Zi fha/HAM B14/e Patented Sept. 15, 1942 UNIT E D- STAT El S Per? F FIC, E:

CONTAINER Farnham Biair, Washington, D1. CL

Application December 1, 1941,\SeriallNo 4.21,22.$lV

(ci. asf-e) 12 Claims.

ThisA invention relates to containers, and more particularlyto bottlesand the like adapted to holdl' cosmetics having Stoppers a portion of which Will in `icate acharacteristic of the substance within the bottle. For illustration, the invention will be hereafter described With relation to containers for nail polish, but is not to be limited thereto.

Heretofore containers of the type for holding nail? polish, have had many faults. For example, it hasbeen exceedingly difficult for anyone to see just how the polish will look on finger nails before: applying; Secondly, much of the polish evaporates because of carelessness in replacing thev stopper and the resulting liquid becomes so thick and heavy as to. be useless. And, thirdly, containers of` this type are not only top-heavy and easily tip over, but offer no suitable support for the lingers While applying the polish.

Accordingly, one of the main objects of the rpresentrinventien` is to provide a device of the Another object is to provide a container ofthe above general character having a form adapted to give good support when applying the substance to. a ngernail.

A further object is to provider a container and stopper of the above general character, simple in operation and. reliable in use, havingV relatively few parts, whichI may be inexpensively manufactured and assembled. Another object is to provide a container and stopper of the above general character. which will have great sales value, not only becauseof its usefulness but because ofr its pleasing appearance.

Other objects WillV be in part obvious from the annexed drawing and in part hereinafter indicated in connection therewith` by the followingy analysis of the invention.y

'I'his invention accordingly consists in the features of. construction, conbination of parts and in the unique relation of the members and in the relativeV proportioning and. disposition thereof, all as more completely outlined herein.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully comprehend the underlyingV features of this invention, that they may embody the same by the nu- :onerousl modifications inv structure and relation. 551

con-ternplated-l by the invention, a drawing depicting` several forms' of the invention has been annexed as part of this disclosure, and in such draw-ing. like' characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout all of the views, in Which- Fig'. 1 is a planview of one container and its stopper;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional side View of the same container and stopper;

Fig. 3l isa side View of a modication of the `container and stopper; and

Fig. 4 is a plan View ofthe modification shown in- Fig. 3. p

Referring now to the drawing in detail, Fig. 1 shows a plan View of the container Ill and the stopper I|`. The container or body Il is hollow, preferably elongated in shape, and has a relatively broad flat surface on its top and bottom sides. The body may be made either of glass, any suitable plastic, or even of pottery or porcelain.

Positioned approximately in the center ofthe top of the container I0 is a neck I3 with which the stopper Il fits. The stopper ll ispreferably elongated in shape as is indicated in Fig. 1V and hasa hole or recess I4 running into or through its. longitudinal axis slightly larger in diameter thanthat of a normal linger. On either side of the stopper H`v on the top surface of thev body Il of the container are indentations or nger grooves |15, slightly rounded and having a greater length than breadth. The purpose of the nger grooves I5` is not only to provide support for the fingers While applying the polish but to better hold the bottle or container against tipping when 1n use;

The stopper l l, as is. shown in cross-section in Fig. is preferably made of transparent material such as glass or any plastic having the general characteristics of Lucite. It may be tinted any color desired, but it Shoud be transparent or very translucent.

Directly over the longitudinal hole ld on the top of the stopper Il is an indicating means I6, here shown. in the shape of a fingernail. This indicating means is the same color as the substance or nail polish after being applied. Often the liquid nail polish in the container is a diiferent color or shade than: that when finally dried after being applied, making itv almost impossible for the prospective user to tell just how it Will appear. 'Therefore, to avoid any suchguesswork, the color of the indicating spot I6 on top of the transparent stopper' is the exact shade ofthe substance after it has been` applied to the fingernail. The indicating spot may be painted on the stopper or may be a separate insert inlayed in the top surface of the stopper.

When applying nail polish it is preferable to have a reasonably long shank to the applicator or brush. In the present invention, suitably fastened to the bottom of the stopper II at I1 is a flexible coiled spring I8, to the operative end of which is attached a brush 20. The shank therefore is exible in character tending to assume a straight position when removed from the bottle or container. Also, by means of its flexible character, it is possible to have the desired flat and untiltable shape which has been found to be most suitable for the container. This slight resiliency to the shank is also desirable when applying nail polish as it tends for greater accuracy in application. Obviously the shank need not be a coiled spring wire but could be any flexible substance or form such as a single strand of flexible or resilient wire attached at one end to the stopper and carrying an applicating means on the other end for the purpose of being placed in a container of shallower depth than its length.

The joint where the stopper screws or snaps onto the body of the container at I3 is so constructed that the stopper is only on tightly when the longitudinal axes of the stopper` and the body are parallel as is shown more clearly in Fig. 1. It has been found that a great deal of nail polish is wasted or dries up because the user fails to replace the stopper tightly after using. This is due mainly to the highly volatile ingredients in the nail polish. The present invention capitalizes on the innate tidiness of women in that they would be far more likely to put a stopper on a bottle or container straight than tightly. To accomplish this end the joint between the stopper and the bottle or container is so constructed that it will only be tight when the longitudinal axis of the elongated stopper is parallel to the elongated axis of the container. Therefore the joint at I3 is preferably bayonette in type which has been found most suitable as it requires less than a quarter turn to properly position and can be much more easily made than a, screw top. However, it is obvious that an ordinary threaded type may be used if care is taken to so construct the stopper that it Will only be tight on the bottle or container when the stopper is straight.

In operation, the bottle or container Ill, filled with liquid 2l, for example nail polish, rests on a flat surface. The potential purchaser or user wishing to know just what the nail polish will look like when applied, inserts a finger 22 in the recess or hole I4 in the stopper. The real finger nail 23 is positioned directly beneath the indicating nail I6 on the top of the stopper. As the stopper is transparent, the user can look directly through the top of the stopper and easily see exactly how the polish will look when applied and determine the matter of purchase at once, thereby saving time and guesswork.

After selecting the color desired and when used, the stopper is removed from the bottle or container and the shank I8 assumes a straight position. The user then places the finger on which it is desired to coat a nail in one of the recesses I5. This not only holds the bottle down but gives excellent support for applying the polish.

Figs. 3 and 4 show a side and plan View, respectively, of a modification of the container shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This modification proposes a container or bottle in the form of a pelican, although it is conceivable any animal or bird having a, relatively large head might be acceptable. It comprises a hollow body 24, made of any suitable substance, such as glass, porcelain or plastic, and a head 25, preferably made, in part at least, of a transparent plastic of the general character of Lucite. The body portion 24 is hollow and serves as a bottle or container whereas the head 25 acts as a stopper for the container and an indicating means. Longitudinally through the head 25 is a, hole or recess 26 slightly greater in diameter than a normal linger, while the top of the beak 21 of the pelican as shown is colored, by paint or by an insert, of the same color as' the polish within the container will appear after being applied to a nger nail. When viewed from the top, the head with the beak or bill 21 appears to be in the shape of a finger nail.

The head 25, carrying a flexible shaft and applicating means not shown but similar to the one in Fig, 2', snaps or screws on to the body 24 at 28 as with a bayonette joint, This joint is so constructed that the stopper, will only be on tightly when the head and body are in perfect alignment. Again counting on a Womans innate tidiness, the stopper is much more apt to be replaced tightly if it must be straight in order to be tight.

Directly in the center of the top surface of the body 25 there may be positioned crossed grooves 30 and 3| if desired, which act as nger rests in the same manner as grooves I5 shown in Fig. 2. It is desirable when applying nail polish to have means to support the finger, which grooves 30 and 3| not only support the finger when applying but, by using the support, the bottle is less likely to be tipped over or spilled.

Referring further to the head or stopper 25, it is obvious that it is not necessary to run the hole 26 entirely through as the same purpose may be accomplished if the hole is only a recess deep enough to insert a finger to see how the polish will appear on the nail.

Conceivably, the grooves I5 shown in Fig. l could extend entirely across the top surface of the container IU and the stopper II could run parallel to these grooves. 'I'he stopper would still be oval shape but the hole would run at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the bottle or container.

The use of the term animal herein is to be understood to mean either a bird or animal suitable for the purpose intended and recess may be either a through hole or recess as desired.

It is thus seen that the present invention provides a simple and practical container adapted to accomplish among others, all of the objects and advantages herein set forth.

I claim:

.1. A container for a colored liquid cosmetic comprising a hollow body part, a closure for the.

container of greater length than width having a recess extending within and in the direction of the length of the closure adapted to receive a finger, the top of the closure having a portion of the size and shape of a nger nail and the color of the liquid contents when applied.

2. A container for a colored liquid cosmetic comprising a hollow body part in the form and coloring of an animal, a recessed closure for the container in the shape of the head corresponding to the body adapted to receive a finger, the top of the closure having a portion with an indicator of the size and shape -of a finger nail and colored to a shade corresponding to the color of the contents of the container when applied, whereby on inserting the finger in the recess the appearance of the manicured finger nail may be ascertained.

3. A container for a colored liquid cosmetic comprising an elongated hollow body part, a recessed transparent closure for the container, the top of the closure having a portion of the size and shape of a iinger nail and adapted to overlie the finger nail when a finger is inserted in the recess, said portion being colored to a shade corresponding to the color of the contents when applied, said body part and closure having coacting fastening means adapted to insure tight closure of the container when their longitudinal axes are in substantially the same vertical plane.

4. A container for a colored liquid cosmetic comprising a hollow body part having a relative broad flat top surface with a part adapted to support a finger, a substantially transparent and f hollow closure for the container, the top of the closure having a portion of the size and shape of a fingernail and colored to a shade corresponding to the color of the contents when applied, and an applicator secured to the closure at one end adapted to extend into the bod'y whereby on inserting a finger in the recess with the finger nail beneath said portion the appearance of a manicured finger nail will be ascertained.

5. A container for a colored liquid cosmetic comprising an elongated hollow body part in the form and coloring of an animal, a closure for the container in the shape of the head corresponding to the body, the top of the closure having a portion of the size and shape of a finger nail and colored to a shade corresponding to the color of the vcontents when applied, said body part and head part having coacting fastening means adapted to insure tight closure of the container when their longitudinal axes are in substantially the same plane.

6. A container for a colored liquid cosmetic comprising an elongated hollow body part in the form and coloring of an animal, a closure for the container in the shape of the head corresponding to the body part, said body part and head part having coacting fastening means adapted to insure tight closure of the container only when their longitudinal axes are in substantially the same plane.

'7. A container for a colored liquid cosmetic comprising an elongated hollow body part in the form and coloring of an animal, a closure for the container in the shape of the head corresponding tothe body part and of greater length than width having a recess extending within and in the direction :of the length of the closure, the top of the closure having a portion of the size and shape of a finger nail and colored to a shade corresponding to the color of the contents when applied, whereby on inserting the finger in the recess the appearance of the manicured finger nail may be ascertained.

8. A container for a colored liquid cosmetic comprising an elongated hollow bod'y part having a relatively broad flat top surface with a portion adapted to support a finger, a substantially hollow translucent closure for the container, the top of the closure having a portion of the size and shape of a finger nail and colored to a shade corresponding to the color of the contents when applied, whereby on inserting the finger in the recess the appearance of the manicured fingernail may be ascertained, said body part and closure having a bayonette connection adapted to insure tight closure of the container when their longitudinal axes are in substantially the same plane.

9. A container for a colored liquid cosmetic comprising an elongated hollow body part in the form and coloring 0f an animal, a recessed translucent closure for the container in the shape of i the head corresponding to the body, the top of the closure having a transparent portion of the size and shape of a finger nail and colored on its under side to a shade corresponding to the color of the contents when applied, whereby on inserting the finger in the recess the indicating portion overlies the nail and the appearance of the manicured finger nail may be ascertained.

10. A container for a colored liquid cosmetic comprising an elongated hollow body part in the form and coloring of an animal, a recessed trans lucent closure for the container in the shape of the head corresponding to the body, the top of the closure having an indicating portion of the size and shape of a finger nail and colored on its underside to a shade corresponding to the. color of the contents when applied, whereby on inserting the finger in the recess the indicating portion overlies the nail and the appearance of the manicured finger nail may be ascertained, and an applicator secured to the closure at one end.

11. A container for a colored liquid cosmetic comprising an elongated hollow body part in the form and coloring of an animal, a recessed translucent closure for the container in the shape of the head corresponding to the body, the top of the closure having an indicating portion of the size and shape of a finger nail and colored tota shade corresponding to the color of the contents when applied, whereby on inserting the finger in the recess the indicating portion overlies the nail and the appearance of the manicured finger nail may be ascertained, and an applicator secured to the closure at one end, the intermediate part of which is of fiexible coiled spring wire thereby to permit the applicator to bend and reach the remote parts of the interior of the container.

l2. A container for a colored liquid cosmetic comprising an elongated hollow body part in the form and coloring 0f an animal, a recessed translucent closure for the container in the shape of the head corresponding to the body, the top of the closure having an indicating portion of the size and shape of a finger nail and colored 0n its under side to a shade corresponding to the color of the contents when applied, whereby on inserting the nger in the recess the appearance of the manicured finger may be ascertained, said body part and head part having coacting fastening means adapted to insure tight closure of the container when their longitudinal axes are in substantially the same plane.

FARNHAM BLAIR. 

